Chicago vs New York: which city for your trip?

Chicago and New York answer to different travel cravings. On the wallet front, Chicago wins by about €39/day vs New York, flights aside. Since Chicago and New York sit in the same country, you can chain them without a second long-haul flight. Flights land at ORD (Chicago) and NYC (New York) respectively, with a short hop between the two. This side-by-side stacks daily budget, vibe, accessibility and traveler profiles so you can pick one — or combine both in a multi-destination itinerary.

At a glance

  • Chicago🇺🇸 United States · North America
  • New York🇺🇸 United States · North America
  • AirportORD / NYC

Daily budget

Chicago
Hotel75
Meals35
Transit16
Total/day~126
New York
Hotel100
Meals45
Transit20
Total/day~165

Best for

🇺🇸 Chicago

Chicago is the pricier of the two: daily budget runs noticeably higher than New York. The trade-off is mature tourist infrastructure, international-level dining, slick transit. Best on shorter trips (3-5 days) where every day has to count.

🇺🇸 New York

New York is the pricier of the two: daily budget runs noticeably higher than Chicago. The trade-off is mature tourist infrastructure, international-level dining, slick transit. Best on shorter trips (3-5 days) where every day has to count.

Combine them?

1144 km apart — easily combined in one trip. Base yourself in one and spend 2-3 days in the other.